


Boy Next Door

by ddagent



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M, Philinda AU Challenge, fire alarm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-27 18:56:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2702882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddagent/pseuds/ddagent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Melinda knows nothing about her new neighbour, and that's how she likes it. But when they're both stuck outside due to a fire alarm, Melinda has no choice but to get to know him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boy Next Door

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Agents of SHIELD or any of its characters, or settings - all belongs to Marvel and ABC.
> 
> An entry for the 'Philinda AU Challenge', the prompt being 'neighbours/roommates'. Also inspired by iggycat's AU suggestion: "Someone needs to write a ‘the fire alarm went off at 3 am and now the cute guy from the flat next door is standing next to me in his underwear’ AU". This was really fun to write, I hope you all enjoy it!

Melinda May thanked the cab driver as she slipped out the back, tipping him an extra ten for getting her home so quickly on such a chilly New York night. The dress she had worn to dinner wasn’t suitable for such weather; and after the _disastrous_ blind date Maria had set her up on, she wanted to be home as quickly as possible.

 

As the cab sped away, Melinda walked the few feet to her apartment complex. Mack, the muscular doorman for whom Maria had a soft spot, gave her a pleasant smile as he opened the front door. “Good evening, Ms May?”

 

Melinda shrugged, thumbs digging at the back of her heels as soon as her feet hit the lobby. “Could have been a lot worse.”

 

“Well I hope it gets better for you. Good night, Ms May,” Mack said, giving her another smile as she crossed over to the elevator.

 

Melinda had lived in Providence Towers for three years, ever since she’d scrawled her signature on the divorce papers. It was a quiet building, occupied more by singles rather than families. It was close to the studio she owned, and Melinda admired the old charm of the architecture. It reminded her of her old family home, a place she hadn’t been in quite some time. With the holidays around the corner, Melinda realised she may actually have to visit Pennsylvania and her mother sooner than she’d wanted.

 

Inside the elevator, Melinda pressed the button for twelve. She was looking forward to a long, _hot_ shower and maybe a few more pages of her book before she slept. A far cry from where she had hoped the night would lead. Maria had talked up her friend, made him sound _unbelievable._ He had been attractive, but quite dull. She’d gone out with accountants before, but this one hadn’t wanted to talk about anything other than numbers. She’d left him at the restaurant door.

 

When the elevator hit her floor, Melinda stepped barefoot onto the plush red carpet. She padded to the end of the corridor, finding 12c. As she slid her key into the lock, the door to 12d opened across from her. 12d had moved in three months ago from Portland. Apparently, according to the gossip in the laundry room, he was a history professor at NYC. Despite living across from each other, Melinda hadn’t had much contact with her new neighbour. Maria had taken one look and practically _begged_ her to bang the guy next door.

 

“Hi there,” 12d greeted as he stepped into the corridor. His smile was bright, eager, like he was happy to see her. “Nice evening out?”

 

“A little cold,” Melinda said, her hand pushing the door open just so. She really hated small talk; it was why she rarely had much to do with her neighbours. Her one exception was Bobbi two floors down, and that was only because she came to her studio. But 12d seemed nice. She should at least _try_ a conversation. “Out anywhere nice?”

 

12d looked down at his clothes: a grey tailored jacket with an open necked blue shirt. Date clothes. “Not really, just drinks with some of the people in my department. It’s going to be dull, _really_ dull. You look like you’ve been somewhere _incredibly_ glamourous.”

 

The black dress had set her back a month’s wages. It had been a shame to waste it on the accountant. “Not especially.”

 

“Well, if you wanted…I mean you probably…” 12d stuttered, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he tried to regain control of his sentences. “It’s Phil, by the way. Phil Coulson.”

 

“Melinda.” He seemed sweet, but after the night she’d just had she couldn’t stomach any more small talk. She pushed her door open further. “Take a scarf; it really is cold out there.”

 

12d – _Phil_ – nodded, and the last thing Melinda saw before she closed her door was him opening his. Setting down her bag and shoes, Melinda felt her body start to relax. It had been a long day at work, and an even longer evening at dinner. She felt like a coiled spring. Tomorrow she could give Grant a good work out, but for tonight her shower was calling.

 

\--

 

Melinda was woken from a very still sleep by a blaring siren. It took her only a few seconds to realise it was the fire alarm and that she needed to leave her warm bed and head down to the street outside. This seemed to happen every few months or so, when one of the traders on second had too much to drink. With practiced ease, Melinda found her running shoes and her WestPoint sweatshirt and shut her front door behind her.

 

She met Bobbi on the stairwell, her friend having also slipped on shoes and a jacket. “Traders again?”

 

“Probably,” Bobbi sighed. ”I’m just so grateful Jemma stayed at her place last night. The last thing she needs with final exams coming up is some asshole pulling the fire alarm.”

 

Melinda had only met Bobbi’s girlfriend a couple of times; it had been before they had been dating and the NYPD officer had tried to teach the PhD student some basic self-defence. They’d stopped coming to classes together about the same time they’d decided their work outs would be better in private. Whilst Jemma had been spared the three am wake up call, the other occupants of Providence Towers were not so lucky. Melinda counted at least six individuals who would be at work in the next couple of hours, including herself.

 

“You know, it’s technically a crime to pull a fire alarm if there’s not a fire,” Bobbi said, her eyes scanning the crowd assembled out front.

 

“I’m sure the Fire Marshal will take care of it,” Melinda said, a hand rubbing the back of her neck. This _certainly_ wasn’t how she’d wanted her evening to go. “But if we’re out here for much longer, by all means.”

 

They continued to watch everyone stream through the doors, both of them doing a roll call in their heads. Melinda might not know everyone’s names or stories like Bobbi did, but she knew faces. She especially recognised the face of 12d – _Phil_ – as he came out the front door. But that was all she recognised. Obviously the fire alarm had caught her neighbour off guard, as all the professor wore was a pair of _Captain America_ boxer shorts.

 

“Wow, who knew 12d was packing that sort of muscle?” Bobbi whispered, grinning as they watched Phil filter through the crowds to somewhere where he wouldn’t be stared at. Not an easy task when everyone else had managed to put dressing gowns, house coats, sweatshirts over their bodies.

 

Melinda felt sorry for the guy. He was new to the building, new to New York. It was a freezing cold evening and, for all he knew, all his belongings may be about to go up in smoke. Pulling off her overly large sweatshirt, Melinda left Bobbi’s side and walked over to where Phil was shivering.

 

“Here, have this,” Melinda said, offering him her sweatshirt.

 

Phil looked up at her offer, his cheeks turning pink and his hands immediately crossing in front of his crotch. Bobbi’s assessment had been close to the mark: Melinda would guess some martial arts work, maybe some rowing to keep his arms toned like that. They were good arms. Good legs, too. His chest was soft but not flabby, a line of hair leading all the way down his stomach to the waistband of his boxers. Melinda tried to focus on the goose bumps prickling his skin rather than the other parts of his anatomy reacting to the cold.  “Come on, you’re freezing.”

 

“You’ll get cold,” Phil managed to stammer out.

 

Melinda rolled her eyes. Her first act of neighbourly assistance was not going well. “I’m not the one in my underwear. Now take the damn sweatshirt, we could be out here a while.”

 

Phil finally agreed, tugging the sweatshirt around his shoulders. It wasn’t the best fit, but it would give him the warmth his boxers certainly wouldn’t provide. Balling his hands in his armpits to keep them warm, Phil turned to her with a smile. “Thank you, I really appreciate this. I didn’t have time to grab a jacket, someone was banging on my door and I had to leave. Do you really think we’re going to be out here a while?”

 

“Probably. The fire department has to come, determine the cause of the alarm. Hopefully it was just some idiot setting it off after having too much to drink. They’ll let us back in eventually.” Melinda had run out of conversational steam. She thought about going back to Bobbi, but she was busy talking to the guy from 4a and his girlfriend. Phil seemed nice enough. It wouldn’t hurt to pass the time with a little conversation. “How was your evening?”

 

“As I thought, _really_ boring. I usually find History fascinating, but they kind of took all the fun out of it. I’m a history professor at NYC. Mostly Second World War,” Phil explained. “What about you? What do you do?”

 

Melinda hesitated. She wasn’t one for talking about her life in any great detail, but Phil seemed harmless enough. And Bobbi was still busy. “I run a martial arts studio downtown. _May Martial Arts_.”

 

“That’s your place? I go running by there every morning. I’ve been meaning to go in, see if you run a jiu-jitsu class. I’ve wanted to find one since I moved from Portland.”

 

She smiled, finding his enthusiasm for his work out infectious. Melinda allowed herself another look at her neighbour’s body: the soft muscles of his stomach; the way the material of her sweatshirt stretched around his arms. Whatever he had been doing in Portland had certainly paid off. “We run a couple of jiu-jitsu classes. I can slip a pamphlet underneath your door about the times if you want. If you’re ever up that early, I run a Tai Chi class from seven.”

 

“Maybe I’ll stop by.” Phil smirked, still huddling in her sweatshirt. He’d be a good addition to her class, someone who knew similar disciplines. They were always focussed, eager to learn. She was having more to discuss with her neighbour than she’d had with her date. No one was more surprised than her. But then, it seemed her neighbour was full of surprises.

 

“Have you lived in New York long? I’ve only been here three months; I’m still trying to figure out where everything is.”

 

This time she answered quickly. “A few years. After-“ Melinda paused, deciding to edit that part of her life out. She didn’t feel it was appropriate to discuss her former profession. Not with someone she barely knew. “I moved to the city with my husband about five years ago.”

 

Melinda decided she had imagined the way her neighbour’s face fell at her answer. But his shoulders had definitely sagged. “You’re married.”

 

“Divorced. Three years now.”

 

She definitely didn’t imagine the way his mouth quirked at the corners. “Oh, good. I mean, not _good._ Ending with someone is never pleasant. My girlfriend, Audrey, we broke up a few months ago.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Melinda wondered what had happened, but decided not to pry. Her own divorce, Thomas’ inability to come to terms with what had happened to her, had been incredibly painful. Bobbi had talked at length about her own messy divorce, and Maria’s last break up had been awful. For him and his ribs, at least. She understood it was something Phil might not want to talk about, especially with a practical stranger.

 

“Do you like New York?” Melinda asked, shifting the topic to something more neutral.

 

“I do, I really do,” Phil said, bobbing his head. “It’s new and confusing but also really exciting. I’ve got good people I’m working with, and my neighbour’s really pretty.” Melinda looked up from the pavement to meet Phil’s gaze. “Sorry. Cold weather makes me say stupid things.”

 

Melinda didn’t really know what to say. She hadn’t noticed at the time, but replaying their earlier conversation she realised he had attempted to ask her to join him that evening. It still didn’t help her form an answer. The pink tinge forming across her cheeks was the cold weather. She certainly wasn’t blushing due to the attentions of her rather handsome and half naked neighbour.

 

Before she could finally form a response, a fire engine pulled up to the kerb. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too much longer before they were back inside. Whilst her fellow neighbours were shivering in hastily tugged on jackets and coats, Melinda was feeling overly warm.

 

\--

 

It was around four am when the Fire Marshal declared it to be nothing more than a false alarm. Bobbi, much to Melinda’s amusement, had canvassed the crowd during the wait and whispered something in the Marshal’s ear before he left. Her friend looked triumphant as one of the traders on the second floor was led away in handcuffs. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about any disturbed nights for a while.

 

They were allowed back in floor by floor, the highest floors going first. Melinda gave Bobbi a smile as she joined the herd heading back up to her floor. Phil stayed by her elbow, relief washing over his face as they entered the warm lobby. The elevators were still out of action until the scene was clear, so Melinda headed for the emptiest stairwell. She was happy when Phil followed.

 

“Twelve floors up. Kind of wishing I’d chosen that apartment on the first floor, now,” Phil said as they started their walk up to their apartments.

 

Melinda shrugged, hand running along the handrail. “When I first moved in, I didn’t use the elevator at all. Twelve floors every morning, twelve floors every night.” It had saved the cost of a gym membership until the studio had started doing better. She still found herself doing it on occasion

 

They walked to four in silence, joined by 13a and 15d respectively. It was hard to continue their discussion in the presence of strangers, so Melinda kept herself occupied by the odd glance at her neighbour. After an hour in the freezing cold, he had seemingly overcome his shyness. It was a good thing too, as Melinda felt freer to give his boxer shorts a closer inspection. She knew she wasn’t the only one: she could feel his eyes on her ass as she walked ahead.

 

“Do you have the time?” Phil asked, as soon as 13a and 15d begged off for a break.

 

“Four twenty. I have to be up in forty minutes.” Although Phil groaned on her behalf, Melinda just shrugged. She was used to nights with very little sleep. The first few months after she had stopped working with her mother had been the worst. But she was in a good place now. The nightmares weren’t as frequent. “What about you?”

 

Phil huffed as they headed up to eight. “I don’t have to be up till seven, so I’ve got a couple of hours sleep ahead of me. Really, I’m just looking forward to getting warm. I’ve been meaning to buy some pyjamas, but I’ve just kept putting it off.”

 

“I’m not complaining.” Melinda’s eyes roamed once more over his body. His ass was nice in those shorts, and she really did appreciate his arms. The handful of times she’d run into her neighbour he had always been in a suit and tie. An attractive look, but they really didn’t do him justice.

 

They didn’t make it to their floor until a little over half past, and by that point Melinda had given up on the idea of sleep. A scalding shower and a strong pot of tea would get her ready for the day. She stuck her key inside her front door, turning around to see Phil waiting by his own. It was almost a mirror of where they had been the night before. Maybe this time he’d actually ask her out.

 

“I had fun. Despite the freezing cold and the early wake up call,” Phil said, pulling off her jacket and folding it in his hands. “Maybe we could do it again sometime? There’s this Italian restaurant that I’ve found that’s really good. I’ll even walk you home.”

 

Melinda laughed, taking her sweatshirt as he offered it. Normally she had rules about getting involved with people at work, in her apartment. Phil wasn’t the first person from Providence Towers to ask her to dinner. But he was the first one she wanted to say yes to. “I would like that, Phil. I really would.”

 

“Good.” Phil grinned, his enthusiasm affecting her. It wasn’t just his enthusiasm; the way his body was leaning into hers was making her a little light headed. “How about Wednesday?”

 

“It’s a date.” With her jacket balled in her hands, Melinda was very much aware of how much of her neighbour’s skin was on display. She reached out and placed her hand against his chest, hearing his breath catch as she touched him. She would really like to do a lot more than this. Push him down to her sofa, peel those boxers off and start her morning with a bang. Looking into his blue eyes, Melinda could see similar thoughts racing through his mind. “I would love to invite you in, but I have to be up in twenty four minutes.”

 

“It’s okay,” Phil said, his tongue darting out to moisten his lips. That simple action made Melinda want to do that herself. “I should go in, put some clothes on.” He leant forward, Melinda’s stomach turning upside down as he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. She really needed to reconsider that five am wake up. “Good night, Melinda.”

 

“Good night, Phil.”

 

They parted, Melinda not closing her door until Phil had closed his. Smiling, Melinda pressed her back against the wall. A cold shower was _definitely_ in order.

 

\--

 

 _“Okay, so I know this guy, I met him at my yoga class. I honestly think he would be_ perfect _for you._ ”

 

Melinda rolled her eyes as she moved from her bathroom to her bedroom, screwing in the set of diamond earrings her mother had gifted her for her last birthday. Maria was still desperately trying to set her up, despite her last attempt being an absolute dud. She knew her heart was in the right place, Maria only wanted to see her happy. But sometimes Melinda questioned whether Maria actually had good sense in men or whether she just randomly picked them off the street.

 

“I don’t need to be set up anymore, Maria. I can find my own dates.”

 

_“Really, like that guy from your studio? The one with the clean cut jaw and the vacant expression?”_

Grant. Good at his job, satisfactory in bed. Not someone she would consider dating in real life. “No, not him. Someone else.”

 

“ _We had lunch yesterday and there’s someone else? Why am I only hearing about it now?”_

“Because you would gloat, and I didn’t fancy dealing with that over lunch.” There was a sharp rap at her door, announcing that her date had arrived. Melinda leant over the speakerphone, her finger poised to end the call to Maria. “I’ll tell you about it over drinks tomorrow. Bye, Maria.”

 

_“Wait-“_

With the call to her friend ended, Melinda took one final look in the mirror. Her hair looked good, curling a little at the ends. Light make up, light jewellery, an unfortunate pair of heels. She was wearing the little black dress he had already seen her in, but she was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind. After all the money she had spent on this dress, she deserved to have one good date out of it. Grabbing her purse, Melinda headed for her front door. She opened it to find Phil in the doorway, fingers clasped around a single burgundy rose.

 

“A little cliché, I know, but...” Phil stalled, handing her the rose. “Hi. You look beautiful. I love that dress.”

 

Melinda smiled, stepping out of her apartment and shutting the door behind her. “You look pretty handsome yourself. Clothes are a good look for you.”

 

Phil flushed pink and Melinda busied herself with locking up her apartment. When her place was secure, Phil offered her his arm. Melinda took it, finding herself enjoying her date already. Phil was a good man from what she’d seen, a gentleman. Just hopefully not _too_ much of a gentleman.

 

“Just to warn you, this may not be as exciting as the first time we went out together,” Phil said, pressing the button for the elevator. “Don’t expect a fire truck or anything.”

 

“Does this mean you’re going to keep your clothes on for the entire evening?”

 

Phil’s jaw went slack, his voice still. The elevator opened up and Melinda slid inside, waiting for her date to follow suit. Beaming, Phil joined her inside, his hands curving around her waist to hold her a little closer. Melinda could smell his aftershave, could feel the heat radiating through his suit. No tie again. _Definitely_ date clothes.

 

“I make no promises.”

 

Melinda had never been very comfortable engaging with her neighbours. She liked her privacy, liked her space. But she was _definitely_ going to enjoy welcoming her new neighbour to the building.


End file.
